Previous Race News

One Step Closer!

Friday, September 4, 2009

Spain — Tyler Farrar of the Garmin-Slipstream squad came a little bit closer to his first ever Grand Tour stage victory with a second-place finish in Stage 6 of the Vuelta a España on Friday. Farrar, who has been on a late-summer tear with a series of wins in major European races, finished just behind Friday’s winner Borut Bozic of Slovenia. The finish allowed Farrar to hold onto his fourth place GC standing after six stages.

It was another hot day in Spain as the peloton raced 177 kilometers in and around Xativa, near Spain’s Costa Blanca. With three categorized climbs and temperatures topping 100 degrees F, a break of four riders formed early and gained a maximum advantage of six minutes over the field.

The break was eventually reeled in by by the peloton, led by the sprinters’ teams, and a flurry of attacks and attempted escapes followed in the hills preceding the final stretch to the finish. Ultimately, it came down to another bunch sprint, and Farrar was able to post his best finish yet in this year’s Vuelta.

A shake-up in the overall standings is expected on Saturday’s stage, a flat 30-kilometer time trial.